Uncorkings 1.10.11

The Mariani family bought Pacific Rim Winemakers, a Riesling specialist in Washington state, from its founder, Randall Grahm, owner of Bonny Doon Vineyards.

In 2011, fine wine from Bordeaux was a more lucrative investment during 2010 than gold, crude oil or equities, according to the Liv-Ex Fine Wine Exchange. The index said its Liv-Ex Fine Wine 50, which tracks the top five Bordeaux chateaus across 10 different vintages, surged 57% during 2010, outperforming gold (+35%), crude oil (+20%) and the S&P 500 Index (+13%) during the same period.

British pubs will soon be able to serve 400 milliliter size schooners of beer or cider, in addition to the standard 568-ml pint size. Legislators are relaxing centuries-old rules on pub glass sizes in response to health concerns.

Influential Bordeaux wine importer Ab Simon died on New Year’s Day. He was 88.

David Fulton Winery named Stephanie Trotter-Zacharia as Director of Winemaking and Sales.